The latest on Israel’s East Jerusalem settlement push

What We’re Reading

Occupation/Human rights

Peace Now is deeply concerned that plans for thousands of new settler homes in East Jerusalem will pose a serious threat for a compromise in Jerusalem based on the Clinton Parameters, and thus for the possibility of a two state solution.

Attorney Harel Arnon, who is representing the state in an appeal against the “Expropriation Law” allowing Israel to retroactively approve illegal construction on private Palestinian land in the West Bank, is illegally building a home in the settlement of El’azar in Gush Etzion.

Palestinian prisoners

As some 1,600 Palestinian prisoners marked their 23rd day on hunger strike on Tuesday, the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs warned that hunger strikers had entered a dangerous stage, reporting that health conditions were deteriorating considerably.

“The newest version of the nation-state bill, which effectively pulls Israel’s apartheid regime out of the closet, could potentially lead to massive violence against its weakest population,” writes Marzuq Al-Halabi.

With two hours’ notice, Israel’s Channel 1 nightly news ended a 49-year run on Tuesday evening, with anchors crying openly on the final broadcast, journalists skewering the abrupt government shutdown during the program, and Israel’s president issuing a warm tribute to the first news show in the State of Israel.

In the new policy document, the Hamas movement announced its dissociation from the Muslim Brotherhood, which may improve ties with the Egyptian state that have been rocky after the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi.